


Haven’t We Met Before?

by notbloodylikely



Category: British Royalty RPF, The Crown (TV)
Genre: F/M, I continue to torture myself with this ship, Make this love story into a movie though, More Fluff, More material for The Crown season 5, Or at least devote lots of time to them in season 4/5, Tim being his sweet gentle self
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-19 02:04:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22203475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notbloodylikely/pseuds/notbloodylikely
Summary: Spoiler: they have.Tim Laurence did serve as the second Navigating Officer on Britannia in 1979/1980, and while some suspect this is where he and Princess Anne first met, there’s no evidence to suggest that it happened until he became Equerry to the Queen in 1986. Speaking of which, he was also the youngest to ever take this post at 31, which shows how well he did his job and how respected he was.Anyway, the whole thing lead me to write this fic. Enjoy!
Relationships: Anne | Princess Royal (1950 - Present)/Timothy Laurence (1955 - Present)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Haven’t We Met Before?

Commander Timothy Laurence had been equerry to Her Majesty the Queen for little over a fortnight when he was formally introduced to her daughter, Princess Anne. She had arrived to take tea with her mother after an afternoon of engagements as he was discussing the coming week’s agenda with her which had run slightly late. The Princess had entered the monarch’s office just as they had finished. 

“Yes, yes, I’m just coming!” The Queen said to her daughter, who was standing in front of her desk with a raised brow and a smile, tapping her watch. Looking up at Tim, who had stood upon Anne’s arrival, Elizabeth nodded towards her daughter and tutted. “No patience. Just like her father.” 

“I like to be punctual Mummy, that’s all.” Tim gave a curt smile but remained silent. That is until the Princess turned her attention to him. “You must be the new equerry?” 

He felt the sensation of nervousness creep up on him out of nowhere as she addressed him directly, but he kept his composure and met her fixed stare with confidence. “I am indeed, your Royal Highness.” 

“Anne, this is Commander Timothy Laurence. He only took up the position a couple of weeks ago, but he has already settled in very well.” The Queen said, organising her papers and putting her glasses into her trusty handbag. “The youngest ever to hold the position, so I’ve been informed.” 

“I can see that.” Anne remarked, not clarifying which part she meant. Still holding his gaze, she extended her hand to him. “How do you do, Commander Laurence?”

“How do you do, Ma’am?” He replied. Her handshake was firm, and after respectfully bowing his head, he met her gaze again. He couldn’t help but admire her eyes. Bright and kind and beautifully blue, exactly as they had been the first time they met. Not that she would remember. Or so he thought. Still regarding him quizzically, her brow furrowed. 

“Strange, I’m sure we’ve met somewhere before, but I have no idea where.” _Oh._ Perhaps he was wrong. His heart had begun to beat faster and it almost felt like butterflies in his stomach. But he kept his cool.

“Well, I was the second Navigating Officer on the Royal Yacht Britannia a few years ago, Ma’am.” It took a few seconds before a glint appeared in her eye and she seemed to look at him differently. Then realisation dawned. She remembered. 

_The Royal Family were embarking on their annual summer cruise around the Scottish Western Isles. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were joined by their four children, as well as Princess Margaret and her children. They were nearing the end of their holiday and there had been great enjoyment so far, as there usually was._

_It was late and Tim has finished his shift for the night. Leaving the bridge of the ship, he decided to take a walk up on deck, something he usually enjoyed before retiring to his cabin. As ever, he wasn’t disappointed. The night sky was filled with stars and the sea breeze was sharp and crisp as it cut through the chilly night air. He breathed it all in and exhaled with a deep, contented sigh. He just adored being at sea. Always had._

_Making his way along the ship, he spotted someone up ahead on the Verandah Deck. The lighting was dim, but upon getting closer, Tim realised that it wasn’t a crew member but a member of the royal party. A woman. He got close enough without disturbing her before he hung back. She was standing right up against the railing, leaning over it and looking out to sea. Wearing what appeared to be a long, pale blue robe of satin, Tim’s first thought was that she must’ve been rather cold._

_He ought to have just carried on to his cabin, but something was urging him towards her. Slowly, he made his way onto the open Verandah Deck, his steps growing heavier in the hope of making himself known._

_She didn’t flinch._

_He cleared his throat._

_Nothing._

_Couldn’t she hear him? Perhaps she was just ignoring him. But he didn’t give up. Taking a few more steps, just short of standing directly behind her, he stopped._

_“Your Royal Highness?” That somehow did the trick. She visibly jumped and turned halfway around to look over her shoulder. Tim was momentarily stunned as Princess Anne looked back at him. Her hair was hanging loosely over her shoulders, her eyes were wide (probably due to the fright he’d just given her), and illuminated in the moonlight, they shone like sapphires. Her complexion was clear and smooth, but he noticed her cheeks were stained with tears. He braced himself for a scolding for startling her, but it never came._

_“Yes? Sorry, I was miles away..” She mumbled, brushing her cheeks off with both hands and facing him fully then. “What is it?”_

_This stumped him. What did he actually want? He had no reason to be there. It was none of his business if she was wandering the deck alone in the middle of the night in her sleepwear. But he’d been curious, and perhaps slightly concerned._

_“I just- I wanted to make sure you were alright. It’s rather late, and I didn’t expect to find anyone up here.” Her eyes scanned him from head to foot while he spoke, then a little half-smile graced her lips._

_“Neither did I. I’m perfectly fine. I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to come up here and.. take in the view I suppose.” She shivered and crossed her arms over her chest, finally feeling the cold it seemed having snapped out of her daydream. Instinctively, Tim removed his jacket and went to close the distance between them, but quickly remembered himself, and who she was._

_“Would you like-“_

_“That’s very kind of you.” She smiled again, and with her permission, he gently draped his jacket over her shoulders, which she immediately pulled tighter around her body._

_“It is a beautiful night Ma’am, but we are still in Scotland.” He said, and he felt a mixture of relief and pride when she giggled._

_“Yes, perhaps not my finest choice of clothing for this weather.” What she might be wearing underneath that satin robe briefly crossed Tim’s mind, but he quickly put that out of his head before he could really give it any serious thought._

_“Restless night?”_

_“Yes, something like that.. Having said that, I don’t need much of an excuse to come up here.”_

_“I see. I take it you like to sail yourself?”_

_“Oh, very much so. I adore it. My father would take me when I was small, and I’ve loved it ever since.”_

_“Mine did the same with me. He was in the Navy too.”_

_“Ah, like my own! You see, it must be in our blood.” She grinned._

_“That explains it, Ma’am.”_

_As they chatted about their shared love of sailing, Tim felt he could have stood there listening to her forever. He had heard a few stories from some of the crew that she could be ‘difficult’ at times, but that certainly wasn’t evident now. He didn’t realise it in that moment, but he was completely enchanted by her. However, he did realise during their chat that she must still be cold, and probably tired._

_“It’s getting rather late, Ma’am. Would you like me to escort you back to your room? It’s on my way-“_

_“I would. Besides, I can’t go stealing your jacket, can I?” Another smile and he swore, he almost blushed._

_They took it at a slow pace, sharing more stories about their love of sailing. She told him of how she was looking forward to introducing Peter to her hobby when he was a bit older, but how Mark wasn’t as enthusiastic about the sea as he was about stallions and showjumping. He noticed her tone change when her husband came up, and remembered the tear marks on her cheeks._

_“Ma’am-“ But he stopped himself. It wasn’t his place to ask, and more importantly, the last thing he wanted to do was upset her. As they reached the corridor where her suite was, she slipped his jacket off of her shoulders and returned it to him._

_“Thank you for keeping me company, and for keeping me warm. It was very kind of you.”_

_“It was my pleasure, Ma’am.” Their gaze lingered for longer than it should have before Anne quietly opened the door to her suite and went in, turning to face him._

_“Goodnight.” She whispered._

_“Goodnight Ma’am.” And with that, the door closed._

_Back in his own cabin, Tim found himself unable to sleep, with the princess still occupying his mind long after they had said goodbye. He suspected sleeplessness wasn’t the only reason she had left her suite. It was clear she wanted someone to talk to, or perhaps just to listen. There had been no hesitation in telling a perfect stranger personal stories about her family and her passions, but she had suddenly closed up when she mentioned her husband. He regretted not asking why she had been crying, but he also suspected he already knew the reason why. Before he finally fell asleep, he hoped he would see her again, and realised he had never told her his name. ___

__But she knew it now. The look of realisation passed and was replaced with a knowing smile._ _

__“Yes, I think it must’ve been Britannia.”_ _

__“I should think so, Ma’am.” Their eyes lingered on each other just as they had done outside her suite on the Royal Yacht before he had wished her goodnight._ _

__“Come on Anne, you were the one rushing me for tea!” The Queen said, bringing them both back down to Earth. “I’m sure Commander Laurence is very busy.” Taking that as his cue to leave, Tim took his hat from the desk and bowed his head to his boss._ _

__“Your Majesty.”_ _

__“I shall see you in the morning, Commander.”_ _

__“Goodbye, Commander Laurence.” Anne said as their eyes met once again. “I suspect I shall see you again soon.”_ _

__“I suspect you will, Ma’am.”_ _


End file.
